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Photograph of the Forth Bridges, Edinburgh

Generation Scotland is a resource of biological samples and health data from more than 30,000 people across Scotland. It is available to researchers via the DPUK Data Portal.

Cohort overview

Generation Scotland logo

Generation Scotland (GS) is a resource of human biological samples and health data available for medical research. Based at the University of Edinburgh's Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, GS aims to enable the creation of more effective treatments against disease.

Over 30,000 people from 7,000 families across Scotland have contributed to the cohort, making GS a world-class resource for biomedical research. Those volunteers participated in one of GS's research studies by providing DNA, blood and other samples, clinical measurements, and information about their health and lifestyle. The cohort has enabled researchers to study a wide variety of conditions including heart disease, diabetes, chronic pain, dementia and mental health conditions.

Importantly, the majority of participants have also given permission to link information from their medical records and to be re-contacted about participation in future research.

GS phenotype and genotype data is available to dementia researchers via the secure DPUK Data Portal.

Visit the Generation Scotland website to find out more, or view the cohort description on the DPUK Data Portal.

DPUK and Generation Scotland

Hear from Principal Investigator Professor David Porteous about why Generation Scotland is working with DPUK:

  • Generation Scotland summary data is available via the DPUK Data Portal, allowing dementia researchers to carry out scoping exercises with a view to undertaking full studies.
  • DPUK researchers are working with Generation Scotland participants to investigate whether smartphone apps can be used to ask questions about personality and mood, potentially offering clues about how dementia develops in its early stages.